Basketball games

Play great online basketball games for free at Keygames

At Keygames, we have a large collection of basketball games for you to enjoy for free. We’ve got everything from gravity puzzle games featuring hoops and balls, to games based on real tournaments and star players. Can you defeat all of the opposing players in Basketball Stars, for instance? If you’re looking for more fun sports games to try, check out our full overview of sports titles here!

What are basketball games about?

Basketball is a popular sport around the world. Teams of five players each defend a hoop, while trying to score points by throwing the ball through the opponent’s hoop. The hoops are suspended at a height of just over 3 meters (10 feet) at each far side of the rectangular court. Players can try to approach the hoop by dribbling (bouncing the ball against the floor while running) and dunk the ball through the metal ring. They can also attempt to throw the ball from a distance to get it through the hoop. In most online basketball games, the emphasis is on throwing the ball through the hoop from a series of different positions around the court. If determining the perfect arc isn’t enough for you, the basket may also move up and down or from side to side to make it harder for you.

A very short history of basketball

The sport was invented in 1891 by the Canadian-American sports coach James Naismith, who was teaching in Massachusetts at the time. Because the winters were too cold to send his students outside, Naismith came up with an indoor game featuring a ball and two peach baskets. Initially, the peach baskets didn’t have the bottom cut out, but this would mean a break between each point scored, because the ball had to be plucked from the basket. The original game also didn’t feature dribbling. Instead, players could pass the ball to each other using a bounce pass. Dribbling was introduced a little later, in 1896. The NBA (National Basketball Association), which was founded in 1946, is the most prominent basketball league in the world.

Let’s play!

Have a browse through our collection of fun games and pick the ones you like best. Practice your dunks and layups, or try to pull off some impressive trick shots. Shoot the ball through the hoop on every try. Want more? Head over to our Ball Games page to find more games featuring ball sports and puzzles.